Albie Sachs

BIOGRAPHY

​

Albie Sachs is an activist, writer and former judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa (1994 – 2009). He completed his BA LLB at the University of Cape Town in 1956 and started practicing as an advocate at the Cape Bar at the age of 21. The bulk of his work involved defending people charged under racist statutes and repressive security laws. Sachs himself was subjected to repression by the security police.

In 1966, Sachs went into exile in England and completed his PhD at the University of Sussex in 1971. He subsequently moved to Maputo in 1977 to take up a position as a Law Professor at Eduardo Mondlane University.

In 1988, a bomb was placed in his car in Maputo by South African security agents. The blast caused him to lose an arm and the sight in his left eye. After recovering from the bomb, he devoted himself full-time to preparations for a new democratic Constitution for South Africa.

In 1990, he returned to South Africa and continued his work on the Constitutional Committee as well as on the National Executive Committee of the ANC. After the first democratic election Nelson Mandela appointed him to the new Constitutional Court.

He is the author of many books and has travelled widely sharing South African experiences that might help heal divided societies.

In January 2025 to mark his 90th birthday, an online resource was launched entitled The Albie Collection - A curated conspectus of the Life, Love, Law, Literature and Laughter of Albie Sachs. www.thealbiecollection.org